Fall For You
by RinSabreDelta
Summary: Estrella has never been able to deny James anything, even at the cost of her life and crew. Such is the way of love.
1. Chapter 1

Estrella couldn't help but think that of all the men she had to deal with in her life, British Naval Officers were certainly the most rude. Any captain, pirate or not, deserved some modicum of respect, and yet she found herself being manhandled up onto a Royal ship deck. She'd recognized the ship as soon as it had made port, and had been trying to get her own ship up and ready to go, not wanting to deal with the confrontation. She hadn't quite been that lucky, instead finding herself detained as well as her crew. As the two guards shoved her into the Captain's Quarters, she turned to glare at them, straightening her coat. Their commander stood at the window with his back to her, and she rolled his eyes at his dramatics.

"Have a seat." His voice was commanding, though she remained standing. Reaching down, she scooped up a teacup nearby and took a sip. Royal Naval ships always had the best tea, but she'd never attempted to take one of their ships for fear of losing her own. The Commodore turned, halting in his tracks as shock took over his features. With a smirk, Estrella took another sip. "Estrela?"

" _Capitán_ Estrella Varela." He seemed to pull himself together a bit, tucking his hands back behind him. "You would think after all this time, you would at least say my name correctly, James." She could see his jaw tick and she set the cup down. "What is it you want?"

"We're looking for a particular ship. You're going to help us." He moved to stand across the desk from her, and Estrella turned a bit to face him properly.

"Why would I help you?" It was clear she was getting under his skin, and it gave her a bit of satisfaction.

"The governor's daughter has been kidnapped. If you help us locate her, there will likely be a reward for you." Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms in front of her.

"What, the mercy of a quick execution?" He looked down and she sighed, thinking over her options. It wouldn't be the first time she'd had to escape capture, but it would be a first for openly defying the Royal Navy. Worst case, she would need to make sure her men were in position for a rescue. After a time of silence, she spoke again, her voice softer now. "You said the governor's daughter. You mean Elizabeth, yes?" James looked up, nodding minutely. Estrella sighed, shaking her head. "Who took her?"

"Pirates, obviously." Her gaze hardened, and he gave his own eye roll. "Oh, don't give me that."

"Fine, pirates. No description of ship, crew, captain?" Arching a brow, she reached for the tea again, intent to enjoy the quality drink before she would have to leave. James' hand shot out to stop her, holding onto hers with a fierceness she hadn't expected that caused her heart to race. Only hesitating for a moment, she pulled her hand back and settled them on her hips, working to get her heart back to normal. Old feelings tended to die hard, it would seem, and she was a bit angry at herself for having the distraction.

"Witnesses reported the crew were...undead." All emotion but shock faded as she stared at him, instantly knowing what ship and crew were at fault. "The ship is called-"

"The _Black Pearl._ " James' arched a brow, setting down the paper he had been reading from.

"Yes. I take it you're familiar with her and her crew?" She nodded numbly, mind racing. If the crew truly were undead like the rumours had been saying, it meant that they had actually located Cortes' gold. Estrella had been wary enough when Sparrow had approached her to help with her crew, and now she was grateful she'd declined. "Good. Then we have an agreement."

"You expect me to chase after a crew which cannot be killed for the sake of Elizabeth Swann?" She leaned on the desk, getting as close to in his face as she dared. "Why not risk your own men, hm?"

"I am!" He snapped, leaning forward as well. She could see it then, his real motivation for chasing down this wretched ship: he was still smitten with Elizabeth. It caused a tightness in her chest even as he sighed and dropped his head. "I am risking them. But there are rules for me, ones I absolutely must follow." Estrella nodded, though he didn't see, and thought for a bit. A plan formed in her head, and she straightened.

"Locate Captain Jack Sparrow." He looked up, giving her a tentatively hopeful look. "Make him an offer he can't refuse, and he'll help you find out where his ship is hiding."

"He's no longer captain. How exactly will he help?" She took advantage of his focus on the topic, grabbing the tea and sipping with a small smile.

"If he doesn't currently have the _Pearl_ , he'll be hunting for her. Pirates are sentimental that way." She finished the tea, setting the cup and saucer in front of him. He seemed to have gotten himself together, giving her a pointed look. "I'll go after the _Pearl_. Hopefully, they aren't full sail and I have a chance of catching them."

"Of course. Your men will be returned to your ship and you'll leave as soon as possible." He escorted her to the door, closer than she was used to anyone being, and she turned before leaving to look up at him.

"Remember this favor, Commodore. I expect repayment." His lips pressed into a thin line even as he nodded, and she exited of her own volition, getting her hat from one of his guards and going to give her men their orders. They'd find the _Pearl_ ; she only hoped they had returned the gold by the time they did.


	2. Chapter 2

As it had turned out, finding Jack had been the easy part. He'd led them to Elizabeth, who had run off to save the blacksmith Will Turner, and in the middle of it all Estrella had to fight a horde of undead pirates. Turner managed to save the day, lifting the curse somehow and giving Estrella and James the upper hand. With Elizabeth safe and Barbossa's men being put in shackles, Estrella looked over the rest of the cave. The cursed Aztec gold seemed to be the only treasure, and she briefly thought of firing the cannons at the entrance to make sure this damned debacle didn't happen again. Chains being clamped on her hands dragged her from her thoughts, and she looked behind her in shock. An officer was waiting, leading her out to a Naval ship and shuffling her down below deck with her crew. She struggled a bit until one of the guards hit her, and she glared up at him.

"I want to speak with Commodore Norrington." The man hesitated, looking over to another guard with a surprised look on his face. "Now!" The second guard hit her again, sending her head reeling to one side and stars to dance in her vision.

"Be quiet, pirate. You'll see the Commodore soon enough." They tossed her into a cell and slammed the door, leaving for the door. She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall and ignoring the splintered wood pulling at her dark hair, closing her eyes. She knew they would impound her ship and make it one of theirs; even with the creation of the _Interceptor_ , hers was the second fastest on the sea. The _Pearl_ and Turner had managed to escape, easily outpacing all of them, and Estrella couldn't help but smile. The Royal Naval fleet would be hard pressed to find her again, especially once word got out that they tended to go back on their deals with pirates. As soon as she got out, she would be sure word got around quickly.

"Captain, what do we do?" She glanced to the left to see most of her men in the next few cells, carefully separated from Barbossa's men, and her first mate was giving her a hopeful look. She gave her usual confident smirk that always asuaged them, closing her eyes again.

"Sit tight, Diego. We have a long voyage back, and we will need our energy if we're to retake the ship." She could hear him passing along the message to the further cells, her smirk growing just a bit. Her men were loyal almost to a fault, and she was lucky to have them. As they were shuffled off towards the prison back at the colony, she glanced at Diego before making her move. Faking a stumble, she fell against the guard, looking up at him with wide eyes and doing her best to sway him. It seemed to be working, and she gave a shy smile. "I'm so sorry, sir. Forgive me." Slowly, she leaned away from him, noting the starstruck look in his eyes as he nodded and muttered his forgiveness before clearing his throat and continuing to lead her away. She waited until he wasn't looking to let her face fall back to resting, sliding the pocket knife she'd managed to snag up her sleeve carefully. They were placed in cells with only four others, though the idiots placed her with her first mate. Diego gave her a questioning look and she nodded as they locked the door, not willing to speak out loud until she heard the boots leaving.

"What is your plan?" She slid the knife out, kneeling to tuck it carefully into her boot sheath. It fit just a bit loosely, but should still be there when she escaped.

"First, I'm going to speak with the Commodore." He looked at her as though she had grown another head.

"Why? He's the reason we're in this prison!" He kept his voice low, but his anger was clear, and she made a note of it. If Diego was this upset, it meant the rest of the crew was angry as well. Many Redcoats were going to die if they got out, and she needed to keep them all under control.

"I know him, Diego. He is an honorable man." He scoffed, and she stepped closer to him. "Besides, do you really take me for a fool? I know better than to fully trust him again. I'm simply giving him the chance to do the right thing." He clenched his jaw but nodded, shaking his head and looking down at his boots.

"What do you need?" She smiled, moving to pat his arm.

"I just need you to be ready. I assume the men are as well?" He nodded, looking down at her. "Good. I trust you to do the right thing. Find my ship, clear her, and prepare her to leave as soon as we are out of these damnable chains." She moved to the door, kicking it with all her might. Diego moved back away, as did the other two men. "Open the door! I demand to speak with Commodore Norrington!" She heard the boots approaching and took a step back, not surprised when a rather harassed looking guard gave her a dirty look through the opening. "Take me to him, now."

"On what grounds?"

"I'm the bloody captain of the ship he stole and I demand to speak with him regarding my part in catching an infamous pirate." The guard looked skeptical, opening his mouth to tell her off when another guard arrived.

"Sir, the Commodore wants to see her." Though she was surprised, she did her best to hide it, giving the first man a knowing look. He grumbled as he unlocked the door, dragging her out roughly by her chains and leading her away. The man seemed truly unhappy with her over this, shoving her into an office and shutting the door, leaving her to glare at James as he sat behind the desk. Moving quickly, she snatched a hidden hairpin from her tresses, making quick work of the shackles and throwing them at him.

"¡Estúpido y arrogante hijo de puta!" She seethed, watching as his eyes widened just a bit. He set the shackles aside, gesturing for her to take a seat, though she refused. He sighed, instead moving to pour two cups of tea.

"I would assume that whatever you just said was insulting." He set the teacup in front of her on the desk, retaking his seat behind the desk.

"You lied to me." Her voice was dangerously quiet and she leaned forward on the desk. "I thought you had more honor than that."

"Why do you think you're here, Captain?" His voice was cold, catching her off-guard, and she arched a brow. "I did say you would be rewarded. It simply took time to get the necessary paperwork." There was a knock at the door and they both turned to see Elizabeth and her father enter. Estrella softened as the other woman gave her a hesitant smile.

"My father and I arranged for your release." Elizabeth sounded so unsure, and Estrella moved to pull her into a hug. The two women embraced for a few moments before pulling away. "I've missed you, you know." Estrella looked to the two men.

"Give us a moment?" They nodded, stepping out of the office. Estrella waited until they were gone to speak again. "So, I see you've met your own dashing pirate." Elizabeth blushed as she sat down, with Estrella taking James' seat. "So, how about we find him, yeah?"

"My father wishes for me to marry the Commodore." Elizabeth dropped her gaze to her lap and Estrella sighed dramatically.

"And what do you wish, Elizabeth?" The other woman looked up and they shared an unspoken moment. With a grin, Estrella stood. "I will get your pirate back here. Be ready." There was a hope in Elizabeth's eyes as they shook on it and stepped out. And as Estrella boarded her ship with a Royal pardon, she knew she would have to come back.


End file.
